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   AURORA, Colo. — Firefighters in Aurora are investigating the   
   cause of an explosion at an apartment complex on Saturday   
   morning that displaced hundreds of people.   
      
   Aurora Fire Rescue (AFR) tweeted at 9:57 a.m., "Aurora Fire   
   Rescue crews responded to reports of smoke conditions in multi   
   family residential structure. On arrival, crews began searching   
   for hazards when an explosion occurred. Searches and evacuation   
   in progress, damage to the building is being assessed."   
      
   Minutes later AFR asked the community to stay away from Parkside   
   Collective at 14565 East Alameda Avenue or to evacuate the area   
   as crews investigated the extent of the damage.   
      
   A public information officer with AFR told 9NEWS that three   
   people were injured in the explosion. All three people were   
   taken to a local hospital with minor injuries and are expected   
   to be OK.   
      
   Around 300-400 residents are temporarily displaced due to the   
   explosion. AFR is working with the Red Cross of the Mile High   
   Area and the building managers to find those people a place to   
   stay.   
      
   The Red Cross opened an evacuation shelter for those residents   
   at Gateway High School.   
      
   Before the explosion happened, residents said they heard strange   
   noises that were difficult to describe.   
      
   "At first I heard some cackling and I thought it was just like   
   the fan, so I turned that off and it stopped for a bit, but then   
   we heard it cackling again," said Joe Bham. "Almost if you're   
   ripping up paper, when you're crumbling paper. So, I thought it   
   was a fan unit or something."   
      
   He said they tried to investigate where the sound was coming   
   from, but couldn't figure it out.   
      
   "First of all, my fans just stopped working. It was starting to   
   do a wobble noise," said resident Ash Fox. "Instead of a   
   straight fan noise, like white noise, it was going in and out,   
   in and out. It sounded like it lost power but then it gained   
   power again. So, it was just a weird stuff going on with   
   electricity before it happened."   
      
   "My voice started shaking and I was shaking for a while," said   
   Fox. "It really shook me up."   
      
   Residents said there weren't any flames, only white smoke.   
      
   Tonight, she'll have to stay somewhere else, along with 300-400   
   other residents as investigators try to determine the structural   
   integrity of the building.   
      
   "Try not to worry too much about this but I know I will be,"   
   said Fox. "I just hope that everyone's ok."   
      
   In the case of Samuel Levy, who was walking to the leasing   
   office, he described the ground shaking.   
      
    “The ground started to shake below the apartment building – at   
   that point we decided to make our way outside," he said. “We   
   walked outside, we noticed some steam coming out of the concrete   
   coming in through the separation in the concrete."   
      
   Then, that's when the fire alarms went off. AFD said they were   
   called out because a resident saw smoke.   
      
   "So ran down here, stood by the grassy area and we saw smoke   
   coming out of the little vents and then I think 10-15 minutes   
   later, it exploded," said Bham. "All the debris just fell off.   
   There was an ambulance right in front of us and I'm pretty sure   
   someone got hit, but it was just crazy."   
      
   AFD said the explosion happened near electrical equipment, the   
   elevator and what looks like utility meters.   
      
   Across the street at BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse, a few   
   employees witnessed the explosion as they were preparing the   
   restaurant for the day.   
      
   “Soon as I opened the door I could hear the sirens across the   
   street, a lot of commotion with police, the fire engines," said   
   Joe Dean, a senior kitchen manager who was joined by his co-   
   worker, Ryan O'Dea. “Ryan and I both kind of felt the impact in   
   our chest from that explosion."   
      
   AFR said the exact origin of where the explosion came or what it   
   was from is unknown, but searches have been negative.   
   Firefighters have mitigated hazards and are out of the building   
   and are waiting for assistance with utility control.   
      
   As of Saturday night, 9NEWS had not received a response from   
      
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